As you are no doubt aware, today is Valentine's Day, a day traditionally reviled by the lovelorn. (Of which I am one.) But it is also my half birthday, and I have to admit that I'm bloody tired of sharing it with all the whining single people in the world. So rather than snark and scoff at this year's holiday, I'm going to enter into its romantic spirit. With enthusiasm. With appreciation. With a meme that even a single person should be able to enjoy. ...Provided, of course, that they, too, are willing to savor a little amorous sentimentality.

Valentine's Day Fourteen

1. Who was your first crush?
This little boy, Hassan, who I went to elementary school with. He had a twin, Massan, who I didn't like at all, but Hassan was so funny. We'd hang out at recess, and he was always cracking jokes, bursting into spontaneous renditions of the Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"---I think I've always been a sucker for a man who could make me laugh.

2. An image that symbolizes love or romance for you:


3. What is your favorite romantic movie?
Still Breathing. I love the sense of destiny, the music, the pacing, the cinematography. It makes me sigh in romantic bliss. :)

4. Which fictional character or historical personage would be your ideal match?
I'm torn between Logan Huntzberger from Gilmore Girls and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey. They're both clever and funny and more worldly wise than their lady loves; they both respect the woman they love, but they're also not afraid to push her to be better. Logan urges Rory to be more adventurous; Henry Tilney encourages Catherine to test and trust her intellect...and they do so with tenderness and teasing and cajolery, not with cruel words or derision.

5. Five favorite flowers: periwinkle, Sir Winston Churchhill daffodils, lilacs, crabapple blossom, orchids

6. Five favorite candies: very dark chocolate, peanut butter cups, Kinder Bueno bars, Haribo Gummi Grapefruit, Cadbury Time Out bars

7. What is the most romantic book scene you've ever read?
The one that comes immediately to mind isn't really meant to be romantic at all: it's the opening scene of Anne Gracie's His Captive Lady. The hero is traveling on horseback behind a farm cart where a woman sits on the tailgate. She's drenched by the rain and barely seems to notice, and his thoughts are filled with her---her beauty, yes, but also where is she going? why is she so stoic? He's so absorbed, and he's paying such close attention to her, that even though he hasn't even met her, the scene is riveting and beautiful.

8. What is your favorite love song?
I have so many, it's impossible to pick just one. I will say, though, that The Weepies' "Stars" is my current pick for Possible Wedding Dance Song.

9. What is your idea of a perfect Valentine's Day gift?
It's a bit of a cliche, but I actually love to get flowers on Valentine's Day. I never buy them for myself, so it's a treat to have a bouquet to celebrate the day...I don't even care who they're from. :D

10. A celebrity you'd like to ask to be your Valentine:
Hmmm...I think this year, I'd ask T.J. Thyne to be my Valentine. As far as I know, he's single, so it's not completely creepy, and I think he'd be a fun Valentine to have.

11. What is the best Valentine card you've received?
In my high school creative writing class, we had to make a Valentine for a random classmate. The fellow who made mine---Jeremy E., who some of you know---crafted a 3-dimensional chocolate box out of construction paper, complete with lid, drawn chocolates at the bottom, and a paper ribbon rippling across them with the words, "Be My Valentine" written on it. So, so cool!

12. Three traits your ideal mate must have: the same political and religious beliefs as me, a sense of humor, strength of mind

13. Three traits that are automatic turn-offs in a mate: overweening vanity, stupidity, lack of confidence

14. What is your idea of the most romantic place on earth?
Right now, I'm mightily attracted to the notion of a secret hot spring tucked into a pocket of trees and flowers in the mountains.